Mysuru: N.J. Vasudevan, who claims to be the stepbrother of the late Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, J. Jayalalithaa, plans to write to Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, demanding an inquiry into her death and for her properties to be protected from an illegal takeover.

“Ms Jayalalitha considered the people of Tamil Nadu her family and so they are the rightful custodians of her properties, which must be placed in a Trust for their benefit,” said the 80-year-old , who lives in a modest home in the remote village of Srirangarajapuram in T Narsipur taluk.

To Mr Vasudevan, who claims to be the son of Jayamma, the first wife of Ms Jayalalithaa’s father, Jayaram, her death remains a mystery. “She didn’t seem like she was hospitalised for over 70 days when her body was kept for public viewing at Rajaji Hall in Chennai. There is a lot of suspicion about her death and actress Gautami has already written to the Prime Minister about this. If her health was not improving, why was she not shifted to Singapore for treatment like actors Rajanikanth and Ambarish? Several rumours are making the rounds about her death and so there has to an inquiry,” he insisted.

Claiming that he had no intention of claiming the late CM's property, he said, “I have no such expectations, but I will not say no if the government recognises us as legal heirs and gives it to us. But above all she considered the people of Tamil Nadu her family and they are the rightful custodians of it.”

Despairing over Ms Jayalalithaa's burial, he said, “We belong to an Iyengari Brahmin family and follow Sri Ramanujacharya’s Srivyshnava customs. In our culture only sanyasis (saints) are buried.”